













G ? 0 

































THE BROTHER BEARS 

AND OTHER STORIES 


By 

ANNA WILLIAMS ARNETT 

I I 


Illustrated by LUDWIG and REGINA 









p 


r 


Copyright, 1927, by 
BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY 

All rights reserved 


JAM-?78 


Printed in the United States of America 


©Cl A1018107 


CONTENTS 


The Brother Bears. 

Page 

. 5 

Little Boy Green. 

.13 

Wee Willie Squirrel. 

.19 

Little Toy Dog. 

.24 

Mr. and Mrs. Wren. 

.28 

The Lost Little Robins .... 

.34 

The Lucky Pewees. 

.41 

The Greedy Robins. 

.45 

The Naughty Little Pig .... 

.47 

Duckie Quack Quack. 

.53 

Bunny Pink Nose. 

.60 

Bunny and the Waffles .... 

.67 

Bunny and the Moving Pictures . 

.73 

Bunny and Mrs. Kangaroo . . . 

.77 

Bunny and His Airplane . . . 

.81 

The Brownie Seed. 

.85 

Big Brother and Little Brother . 

.89 

Jimmy Jack-O'-Lantern .... 

.94 


3 











Page 

Billy's Pumpkin-Pie Party.100 

The Pumpkin Giant ..102 

The Easter Flower Choir.107 

Takamere and the Coyotes.113 

Happiness Castle.119 


4 








The Brother Bears 

There were four little brother bears who 
lived in Cave Cottage at the edge of Wood¬ 
land Grove. 

The four little brother bears were always 
together. Wherever one went, they all 
went. 

When they went to the Hollow Stump 
s 






School House, they took hold of each other’s 
paws and walked there together. 

And Miss Brown Bear, the lady bear 
teacher, let them have four little seats all in 
a row. 

When they read from their tree bark 
readers, they all read together. They sang 
together and played together. 

One day Miss Brown Bear said to the bear 
children, “Put your paws on your desks, 
children, and listen to me. I have something 
nice to tell you. 

“We are to have a vacation. We will have 
no school for a week. Day after to-morrow 
will be Christmas. That is the reason we are 
to have a vacation.” 

Then all the little bear children clapped 
their paws and said, “Goody, goody! Hur¬ 
rah for Christmas!” 

On the way home all the little bear chil¬ 
dren began to talk about the fun that they 
would have, hanging up their stockings for 
Santa Claus to fill with sweet things to eat. 

6 


Now the four little brother bears had 
never before heard of Santa Claus. They 
had no stockings for him to fill. 

The other bear children told them that 
Santa Claus never stopped at places except 
where there were stockings hanging up. 

If they had no stockings to hang up, then 
Santa Claus would not leave them any sweet 
things to eat. 

You know bears are as fond of sweet 
things as are little boys and girls. 

When the four little brother bears got 
home, they talked it over. They felt that they 
must get each of them a stocking to hang up 
Christmas Eve. So the next morning they 
started out to hunt stockings. 

As they were passing under a large tree, 
Chippie Squirrel threw a nut and hit the 
Biggest Little Bear on the nose. 

“Ouch!” said Biggest Little Bear, and 
rubbed his nose with his paw. 

“Hello, you four little bears! Where are 
you going?” called Chippie Squirrel. 

7 


“We are looking for stockings. Please 
tell us where we can find them,” said the 
Middle Sized Brother Bear. 

“Why do you want stockings?” asked 
Chippie Squirrel. “Are your feet cold?” 

“No, our feet are not cold, but we need 
stockings to hang up Christmas Eve for 
Santa Claus to put sweet things in,” said the 
Smallest Brother Bear. 

“Go and ask Mr. Billy Goat. I saw him 
eating one once,” said Chippie Squirrel. 

“Thank you,” said the four brother bears, 
and they started to Goat Cliff where Mr. Billy 
Goat lived. 

They saw him standing on a rock and 
called to him, “Please, Mr. Billy Goat, can 
you tell us where we can find some stock¬ 
ings?” 

Mr. Billy Goat rubbed his whiskers and 
thought a while, then said, “I found one once 
down by the pond after some boys had gone 
in swimming. It was hanging on a bush. I 
ate it, but it made me very thirsty. I think 
8 



you can find something better to eat than 
stockings.” 

“Oh, we don’t want them to eat,” said the 
four brother bears. 

“We want to hang them up for Santa 
Claus to put sweet things in.” 

“Very well, then,” said Mr. Billy Goat, “if 

9 






you will go down to the pond you may find 
some stockings hanging on the bushes 
there.” 

“Oh, thank you, Mr. Billy Goat,” said the 
four brother bears, and they hurried to the 
pond. They looked all through the bushes 
but not a stocking could they find. 

Mr. Frog heard them talking and came up 
to see what was the matter. 

“Oh, Mr. Frog, can you tell us where to 
find some stockings?” they asked. 

Mr. Frog cleared his throat and croaked 
two or three croaks. 

Then he said, “You will find stockings on 
two-legged animals. One of them passed by 
here only a few minutes ago. He went up to 
that big house you see on the hill.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Frog,” said the four little 
bears. 

Then they hurried as fast as they could, 
for it was almost dark. They went up the 
path to the top of the hill and climbed over 
the fence into the yard. 

10 



And oh, joy! There, hanging 1 on a rope, 
were four little black stockings all in a row! 
They were just exactly what the four little 
brother bears needed. 

“One apiece for us,” said the Biggest 
Brother Bear to the others. 

“And mind you be careful of them. We 
are only borrowing these stockings and must 
return them in good order.” 

Then each little bear put up his right front 
paw and pulled off a stocking. 

11 














And each little bear held his stocking tight 
while all four bears ran as fast as they could 
back to Woodland Grove and their Cave Cot¬ 
tage home. 

There they hung up the four little stock¬ 
ings in a row and went to bed. 

And will you believe it? The next morn¬ 
ing each little stocking was full of the sweet¬ 
est sweet things that anyone could wish. 

There were four little pots of honey, one 
for each of the little bears, and other sweets 
that little bears like. 

They ate and ate and ate and were as 
happy as could be. 

That night they carried the four little 
stockings back up the hill to the big house. 

They climbed over the fence into the yard 
and hung the stockings up in a row again 
just as they had found them. 

Then the four little brother bears went 
home and dreamed about Santa Claus. 


12 


Little Boy Green 

Little Boy Green was a green velvet doll. 
Dicky Dock found him Christmas morning 
peeping roguishly over the top of his biggest, 
longest stocking, hung up for Santa Claus 
to fill. 

“Merry Christmas!” shouted Little Boy 
Green, and when Dicky Dock lifted him out 
of his stocking, Little Boy Green took off his 
little green velvet cap and danced a jig. 

After that Little Boy Green and Dicky 
Dock were the best of friends. Wherever 
one went the other was sure to go. 

But one day Dicky Dock went somewhere 
and did not take Little Boy Green nor did he 
tell him where he was going. 

Little Boy Green was lonesome without 
Dicky Dock. “I must find out where Dicky 
Dock went,” said Little Boy Green. 

So he went out to the barnyard and found 
Mrs. Yellow Hen scratching up bugs for 
breakfast. 


13 



“Please, Mrs. Yellow Hen, tell me where 
Dicky Dock went,” said Little Boy Green. 

“I cannot tell you,” said Mrs. Yellow Hen, 
“but if you will use your eyes, you can find 
out.” 

Little Boy Green went down to the pond 
and there he found Mrs. Duckie Quack Quack 

14 




























teaching her downy little ducklings to swim. 

“Please, Duckie Quack Quack, tell me 
where Dicky Dock went,” said Little Boy 
Green. 

“Quack, quack!” said Duckie. “I cannot 
tell you, but if you will use your eyes, you can 
find out.” 

Little Boy Green went out to the field, and 
there he found little Mr. Field Mouse. 

“Please, Mr. Field Mouse, tell me where 
Dicky Dock went,” asked Little Boy Green. 

Little Mr. Field Mouse was combing his 
whiskers and did not answer. Little Boy 
Green asked him again. 

Little Mr. Field Mouse stopped combing 
his whiskers long enough to say, “I cannot 
tell you, but if you will use your eyes, you 
can find out” 

“The same old story,” grumbled Little Boy 
Green. 

Then he went out to the orchard. There 
he found Mrs. Wren sitting on her nest knit¬ 
ting some tiny hoods for her baby Wrens. 

15 


“Please, Mrs. Wren, tell me where Dicky- 
Dock went,” said Little Boy Green. 

Mrs. Wren waited until she counted her 
stitches and then said, “I cannot tell you, 
but if you will use your eyes, you can find 
out.” 

Little Boy Green went to Uncle Bushy Tail 
who was busy cracking - a nut. 

“Please, Uncle Bushy Tail, tell me where 
Dicky Dock went.” 

Uncle Bushy Tail’s mouth was full of nut 
so he couldn’t talk and he went on rolling 
the nut around in his mouth. 

Little Boy Green asked him again. 

Uncle Bushy Tail chewed and chewed until 
the nut was eaten. Then he threw the shell 
away and said, “I cannot tell you, but if you 
will use your eyes, you can find out.” 

Little Boy Green went down to the brook 
and found Mr. and Mrs. Minnow and all the 
little Minnows busy catching flies. 

“Please, Mr. Minnow, tell me where Dicky 
Dock went,” said Little Boy Green. 

16 



“I cannot tell you,” said Mr. Minnow, “but 
if you will use your eyes, you can find out.” 

By this time Little Boy Green was very 
tired. So he sat down by the brook to rest 
and think. 

“What can they all mean by telling - me 
that I can find out if I will use my eyes? I 
am sure my eyes are as g'ood as theirs, even 

17 








if they are made of velvet. I am too tired to 
go any further. I shall go home and get 
some dinner.” 

So Little Boy Green got up and turned 
around to go back to the house—and what 
do you think he saw? The very person he 
had been hunting all this time—Dicky Dock 
himself! 

There Dicky Dock was, right behind Little 
Boy Green and Dicky Dock had been follow¬ 
ing close behind Little Boy Green all this 
time! 

“Why didn’t you use your eyes, Little Boy 
Green?” laughed Dicky Dock. “After this, 
when you are hunting anything, use your 
eyes.” 

They both had a good laugh and then they 
went home together, singing this song: 

Little Boy Green, 

Come, use your eyes. 

The cat’s in the cream 
And eating the pies. 


18 


Wee Willie Squirrel 

Wee Willie Squirrel lived with Father 
and Mother Squirrel in a cozy home in an old 
hollow tree. 

Father Squirrel had bought the home of 
the Three Bears. He gave the Three Bears 
one hundred chestnuts for it. 

Wee Willie loved to play hide-and-seek 
with the little neighbor squirrels. They had 
so much fun! 

One day Wee Willie was playing hide-and- 
seek with three little neighbor squirrels. 

He thought it would be fun to hide some 
place where the three little squirrels would 
have to hunt a long time before they could 
find him. So he ran away down the path and 
hid behind a mossy stone. 

He heard the three little squirrels chatter¬ 
ing to each other, saying, “Where in the 
world is Wee Willie? Where can he be 
hiding?” 

Wee Willie chuckled to himself and 


19 



thought, “What a good joke I’ve played on 
them! They’ll be a long time finding me 
here.” 

Just then he heard a rustling sound be¬ 
hind him. He turned around and saw sly old 
Mr. Fox sneaking toward him. 

Wee Willie was young, but he had learned 
that foxes cannot be trusted. He gave one 
whisk of his fluffy little tail and ran with all 
his might. 


20 








Old Mr. Fox ran after him. 

Mr. Fox’s legs were much longer than 
Wee Willie’s. He could run faster than Wee 
Willie. 

Mr. Fox was just about to catch Wee Willie 
by the tail when the squirrel came to a tree. 

And whisk! Wee Willie was up the tree, 
and old Mr. Fox cannot climb trees. 

So old Mr. Fox had his run for nothing; 
but he stayed down under the tree. 

He soon grew tired of waiting for Wee 
Willie to come down and went away. 

After a while Wee Willie came down and 
started home. He walked and ran, and ran 
and walked. But no home nor squirrels did 
he see. 

He now felt very tired. Even his frisky 
little tail was tired and trailed along on the 
ground behind him. 

He sat down to rest for a little while. 

Poor Wee Willie was lost, and it was grow¬ 
ing dark. The birds had stopped singing 
and gone to sleep. Everything was quiet. 

21 



It grew darker and darker. Wee Willie 
could no longer see the path. He put his two 
little paws over his eyes and began to cry. 

Just then a golden lantern twinkled 
through the trees. Then another and an¬ 
other. The lanterns shone and twinkled 
nearer and nearer. 


22 









The lights shone on Wee Willie. 

They were firefly lanterns. 

The fireflies saw Wee Willie sitting there 
alone, crying, and they flew right to him. 

“Wee Willie, what is the matter?” asked 
the leader of the fireflies kindly. 

When Wee Willie told him, the firefly said, 
“Don’t cry, Wee Willie. We will light the 
way home for you. Come with us.” 

Then the golden firefly lanterns led the 
way and lighted up the pathway so Wee 
Willie would not stumble. 

All through the woods they led him, safe 
to his very door. How good it felt to be back 
with Mother and Father Squirrel in their 
home in the old hollow tree! 

“Thank you, dear golden friends,” said 
Wee Willie, and he watched them twinkle 
away into the forest, while he waved his little 
paw at them to say “Good-by.” 

Then and there he decided that he would 
be a little more careful when he played hide- 
and-seek again. 


23 


Little Toy Dog 

Little Toy Dog had bright black eyes and 
silky hair. He had a saucy little nose with 
which to sniff, sniff, sniff. He had four little 
feet with which to tritty, trutty, tritty, trot, 
and scratch, scratch, scratch. He had a little 
tail that he could wag, wag, wag, and thump, 
thump, thump. 

He had two rows of white teeth with which 
to chew bones and balls and slippers and 
other chewy things. 

But Little Toy Dog had no bark! 

One day Little Toy Dog was sitting on the 
porch. He saw a dog that looked just like 
himself only larger. 

Big Dog looked at Little Toy Dog and said, 
“Bow-wow-wow! How do you do?” 

Little Toy Dog said nothing. 

Big Dog said, “Why don’t you bark? Say 
‘Bow-wow-wow’ to me.” 

“I cannot make that noise,” said Little Toy 
Dog. “What do you call it?” 

24 


“That is barking,” said Big Dog. “When 
I want people to pay attention to me, I bark 
‘Bow-wow-wow!’ just like that. Sometimes 
they are afraid of me when I bark. You will 
never be a real dog until you can bark.” 

When Big Dog went away Little Toy Dog 
said to himself, “I must learn how to bark 
and show Big Dog that I am a real dog.” So 
Little Toy Dog trotted down the steps and 
down the walk. 

Pretty soon he met Mrs. Pullet, wearing 
her new wrist watch. Mrs. Pullet wore the 
watch on her leg because she had no wrist. 

“Please, Mrs. Pullet, can you teach me how 
to bark?” asked Little Toy Dog. 

“I do not bark; I cackle. It sounds much 
prettier than barking. Besides, when I 
cackle I have something to tell the world. 
You would better learn to cackle. I should 
be glad to teach you,” said Mrs. Pullet. 

“Oh no, thank you, Mrs. Pullet, cackling 
wouldn’t do at all. I must learn to bark,” he 
said. 


25 



Mrs. Pullet lifted her leg to look at her 
watch. “Dear me, I must hurry on home,” 
she said. 

So on trotted Little Toy Dog. 

Next he met Dr. William Goat, carrying 
his medicine case. 

“Please, Dr. William Goat, can you give 
me some kind of medicine to make me 
bark?” 

“Let me see your tongue,” said Dr. Goat. 

26 








Little Toy Dog stuck out his tongue. 

“By the hair on my chinny, chin, chin! I 
never saw a tongue like that!” exclaimed Dr. 
William Goat. 

He then took a bottle from his medicine 
case. 

“Here is a bottle of dogwood bark. Take 
a teaspoonful three times a day. That ought 
to make you bark,” said Dr. Goat. 

Little Toy Dog hurried home to try his 
medicine. 

After he took one spoonful he found that 
he could growl a little—gr-rr-r—just like 
that. 

After he had taken two spoonfuls he could 
bark a weak little bark—wow-wow-wow— 
just like that. 

But after he had taken three spoonfuls he 
found he could bark as fiercely as the big dog 
— bow-wow-wow! 


27 


Mr. and Mrs. Wren 


Wee-chee, chee-chee, wee-wee-weeny! 

We’re as happy as happy as can be, 

For a fine little house have we 
In the top of the old apple tree! 

Early one morning Mrs. Wren was 
wakened by something drip, drip, dripping 
on her tail. She peeped out from under her 
wing. 

“Peep! peep! peep!” chirped Mrs Wren, 
which meant, “What in the world is the 
matter? What is this dripping on my tail?” 

She felt it again—drip, drip, drip. Mrs. 
Wren shook herself and water sprinkled all 
over her. Then she looked up to see where 
the water came from. She found the wind 
had torn away part of the roof of their cozy 
nest. 

“Peep! peep! peep!” chirped Mrs. Wren, 
which meant, “Wake up, Daddy! wake up! 
wake up!” 

Mr. Wren peeped out from under his little 
28 



wing and chirped, “Peep! peep! peep!” 
which meant, “Oh, my dear, it is too early to 
wake up. Go to sleep.” 

But Mrs. Wren pecked him with her sharp 
little bill until he chirped, “Oh, very well, my 
dear, I’ll wake up.” 

Mrs. Wren pointed with her little claw to 
the top of their nest. 

“Peep! peep! peep!” chirped Mrs. Wren, 

29 






which meant, “See what has happened to our 
roof! It is leaking.” 

“Peep! peep! peep!” chirped Mr. Wren. 
“What a pity! What a pity! What shall 
we do?” 

“As soon as it stops raining, we must find 
a place to build a new nest,” chirped Mrs. 
Wren. 

After a little while it stopped raining and 
Mr. and Mrs. Wren hurried out to get some 
breakfast. They found some nice insects. 
They ate them, and then they started out to 
hunt for a place to build a new nest. 

They hunted all day, and when evening 
came they were hot and tired. But they had 
not found a place to build their nest. The 
other birds had taken all the good places. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wren perched upon a branch 
of the old apple tree to rest. 

Mrs. Wren fanned herself with a leaf. 

“Peep! peep! peep!” chirped Mr. Wren. 
“My dear, what shall we do?” 

“Peep! peep! peep!” chirped Mrs. Wren. 

30 


“We’ll have to sleep in the old nest to-night 
and hunt again to-morrow.” 

“I hope it doesn’t rain to-night,” chirped 
Mr. Wren. “I’ll take a look at the sky to see 
if there are any clouds.” Mr. Wren hopped 
up to a higher branch and looked up. Then 
he gave a quick chirp. “What in the world 
do I see?” he cried. 

“What do you see that is so strange?” 
asked Mrs. Wren. 

Mr. Wren pointed with his little claw. 
Mrs. Wren looked up and what do you sup¬ 
pose she saw? 

Just wait till I tell you. 

It was a house—a little bird house up in 
the apple tree! 

“A house! a lovely little house!” cried Mrs. 
Wren. 

“Do you suppose it grew in the tree?” 

“No; I think Teddy put it there. Teddy is 
the little boy who lives in the brown house 
near by. I saw him making one yesterday. 
It looked just like this one.” 

31 



“Let us go and look at it,” chirped Mr. 
Wren. 

So they flew up to where the little house 
was. 

When they got there they saw something 
written over the door. 

This is what it said, “For Mr. and Mrs. 
Bird, from Teddy.” 


32 




“Oh, Daddy!” chirped Mrs. Wren, “Teddy 
put the little house here for us! Isn’t that 
lovely! What a dear little house! We’ll 
move in right away.” 

They did move in right away, and none too 
soon, for that night it rained again. It just 
poured! 

But Mr. and Mrs. Wren were snug and 
dry in their little new house. 

They chirped, “Wee-chee, chee-chee, wee- 
wee-weeny! Thank you, Teddy, for our 
lovely, dry little house!” 

By and by there were five darling little 
baby Wrens in the new house. 

They kept Mr. and Mrs. Wren busy feed¬ 
ing their five hungry mouths. 

Every morning Mr. Wren perched by the 
door of the house and sang: 

Wee-chee, chee-chee, wee-wee-weeny! 

We’re as happy as happy can be, 

For a fine little house have we 
In the top of the old apple tree. 


33 


The Lost Little Robins 


There were two little robins who lived in 
a cherry tree with their father and mother. 
They had learned to fly, but their wings were 
not yet strong enough to fly very far. Father 
and Mother Robin had often told them that 
they must never fly out of the cherry tree 
when they were gone. 

But one day when Father and Mother 
Robin were gone, those naughty little robins 
flew out of the cherry tree. 

Then, when nothing happened, they flew 
farther—a little farther—then still a little 
farther. 

“Chee, chee,” chirped one little robin, “my 
wings are tired.” 

“Tree, tree,” chirped the other little robin, 
“let’s go home.” 

But alas! when the little robins tried to go 
home, they could not find the way back. 

“Dear me,” said one little robin, “wo must 
find some place to stay.” 

34 


“Dear me,” said the other little robin, “I 
want something to eat.” 

Just then they saw a house not far away. 

“Let’s fly over to that house,” said one 
little robin. 

“Maybe there is a kind little boy there who 
will give us something to eat,” said the other 
little robin. 

So they lifted their tired little wings and 
flew over to a rose bush near the door. The 
door was open and they heard voices. 

One voice said, “Freddy, run down to the 
store and get a loaf of bread, please.” 

A cross little voice answered, “I don’t want 
to. I’m busy playing.” 

The little robins looked at each other. One 
little robin shook his head. The other little 
robin shook his head. 

“This is no place for us,” said one little 
robin. 

“He is a cross little boy,” said the other 
little robin. 

So they lifted their tired little wings and 

35 



flew away. They stopped to rest in a pear 
tree. As they sat there resting, they heard 
a strange sound. 

“What is that?” chirped one little robin. 

“What can it be?” chirped the other little 
robin. 

One little robin peeped over a big leaf. 
The other little robin peeped over a leaf. 
They looked right into two big, fiery eyes. 

Big Eyes saw the two little birds peeping 
over the leaf. 


36 






Then Big Eyes sharpened his claws and 
began to climb the tree. 

Up, up he crept, closer and closer to the 
little birds. 

One little robin chirped, “Chee, chee! 
Who are you?” 

The other little robin chirped, “Tree, tree! 
Who are you?” 

But Big Eyes never made a sound. Up 
and up, nearer and nearer, he crept. 

The little robins were frightened. 

“Go away!” chirped one little robin, and 
he shook his claw at Big Eyes. 

“Go away!” chirped the other little robin, 
and he shook his claw at Big Eyes. 

But Big Eyes paid no attention and kept 
climbing nearer and nearer. The little 
robins were so frightened that their feathers 
stood straight out. 

Suddenly a little boy came whistling by. • 
He saw Big Eyes and the little robins. 

“Scat! you big, bad cat!” shouted the boy. 
“Let those little robins alone!” 

37 


And scat the big, bad cat did. He was 
down the tree and out of sight before the 
little robins could wink an eye. 

“Chee, chee. What a nice little boy!” said 
one little robin. 

“Tree, tree! Thank you, kind little boy,” 
said the other little robin. 

After the little boy had gone, the little 
robins sat winking and thinking of what they 
should do next. 

By and by they heard the tinkle, tinkle of 
a bell. It was old Bossy Cow coming home 
from the pasture. 

“Chee, chee! Let’s follow old Bossy Cow,” 
said one little robin. 

“Tree, tree! Let’s do,” said the other little 
robin. 

So they lifted their tired little wings and 
flew along. 

They flew along near old Bossy Cow until 
they came to a gate. 

Old Bossy Cow stopped at the gate and 
mooed, “Moo, moo, moo!” 

38 



A dear little girl, with fluffy brown hair, 
came out of the house and ran down the path 
to the gate and opened it. 

Old Bossy Cow walked though the gate, 
and right after her flew the little robins. 

“Oh, you darling little birds, where did 
you come from?” cried the little girl. 

39 

















“Chee, chee! We are lost,” chirped one 
little robin. 

“Tree, tree! We are hungry,” chirped the 
other little robin. 

“You poor little birds!” said the dear little 
girl, and she ran into the house to get some 
bread crumbs for them. She scattered the 
crumbs on the ground, and how those little 
robins did eat! 

While they were eating, two big robins 
flew down from a tree—and oh, joy! they 
were Father and Mother Robin. 

Then they all flew away to the old cherry 
tree. 

Soon the two tired little robins were cud¬ 
dled warm and snug in the nest under 
Mother Robin’s wings. 

“Chee, chee!” said one little robin, and the 
next minute was sound asleep. 

“Tree, tree! ” said the other little robin, and 
the next minute he was sound asleep. 


40 



The Lucky Pewees 

Early one day Mrs. Pewee said to Mr. Pe- 
wee, “My dear, this nest house we lived in 
last year is very dirty. You’ll have to mend 
it, too, before I can clean house.” 

41 








“Oh dear, oh dear! what a lot of work it is 
to clean house!” said Mr. Pewee. “Can’t we 
wait and build a new nest?” 

“No indeed!” said Mrs. Pewee. “We’ll not 
have time to build a new house. You know 
how late we are now.” 

“When shall we begin to clean house?” 
asked Mr. Pewee. 

“To-morrow morning,” answered Mrs. 
Pewee, “and we must get up at four o’clock, 
so we can have an early start.” 

That night Mr. and Mrs. Pewee tucked 
their heads under their wings as soon as the 
sun went down, so they would waken early. 
That is the way birds go to bed, you know. 

The next morning, just at the peep of 
dawn, Mrs. Pewee chirped, “Peep, peep!” 
which meant “Come, come, Daddy, wake up! 
We must get to work.” 

Then Mr. Pewee peeped out from under 
his wing with one eye and chirped, “Peep, 
peep!” which meant, “Oh, my dear, it isn’t 
light enough, yet.” 


42 



But Mrs. Pewee pecked at him with her 
sharp little bill until he wakened and sat up 
and stretched himself. Then he opened his 
eyes very wide and gave an astonished chirp, 
which meant, “What in the world is this I 
see?” 

“What do you see that is so strange?” 
chirped Mrs. Pewee. “What is it that you 
see?” 


43 
















“Look up there,” chirped Mr. Pewee, nod¬ 
ding his head toward the branch above them. 
Mrs. Pewee looked up. 

“A house! a bird house!” she cried. 

They both hopped up to the house and 
peeped in the door. 

“A lovely, new, clean house, just what we 
want!” cried Mrs. Pewee. “Where do you 
suppose it came from?” 

“I saw Jimmy working on it yesterday,” 
said Mr. Pewee. “I heard him say he won 
the prize for making the best bird house in 
town. He must have put it up here for us 
to live in. Now we’ll not have to clean house 
after all, hurrah!” 

“How lovely to have a new, clean house!” 
said Mrs. Pewee. “We must thank Jimmy 
for it.” 

So they moved into the new bird house and 
soon there was a family of dear little Pe- 
wees. And such a happy time as they all 
had in the new house that summer! 


44 



The Greedy Robins 

Two little robins lived in a tree. 

They were greedy as greedy could be. 

Their bill of fare they -would not share, 

So they lost their dinners, the little sinners! 

There were two little robins. They were 
funny little robins. They lived in a cherry 
tree. Father Robin sang, “What cheer! 
what cheer! Hear! hear! Our home is in 
a cherry, cherry, tree, tree! tree!” 

Mother Robin sat on the nest. She kept 
the little robins warm. One day the little 
robins were hungry. 


45 








One little robin said, “Chee, chee!” And 
the other little robin said, “Tree, tree!” 

Then Father Robin flew away to find a fat 
worm for their dinner. 

Soon he saw a very big, fat worm. “Here 
is a good dinner for my little robins,” said 
he. 

Then Father Robin carried the big fat 
worm to the nest. “Chee, chee!” said one 
little robin. “Give it to me.” 

“Tree, tree!” said the other little robin. 
“Give it to me. Give it to me.” 

“Now what shall I do?” said Father Robin. 
“I have but one fat worm and two greedy 
little birds.” 

“Chee, chee!” said one little bird. “Give 
it to me. Give it to me. ” 

“Tree, tree!” said the other little bird. 
“Give it to me. Give it to me.” 

“I know what I’ll do,” said Father Robin. 
“I’ll eat it myself.” And he did. 

So those greedy little robins lost their 
dinners. 


46 


The Naughty Little Pig 

Once upon a time there was a little white 
pig. 

Little White Pig was always squealing 
“Wee-wee! wee-wee!” 

So Father Pig called him Piggy Wee-wee. 

And Mother Pig called him Piggy Wee- 
wee. 

Piggy Wee-wee lived in a nice little house. 
They called it Corncob house. 

Father Pig had built it of corncobs. 

Yes, Father Pig had saved the cobs every 
day, after they had eaten off the corn for 
their dinner. 

When he had saved enough corncobs, he 
built this lovely house for his little family. 

Not many little pigs had such a lovely 
home. But Piggy Wee-wee was not satis¬ 
fied. 

One day that naughty little pig ran away. 
He ran out of the yard. He ran down the 
road. 


47 



He met Mrs. Ducky Waddle. 

“Quack! quack! where are you going, 
Piggy Wee-wee?” quacked Mrs. Ducky 
Waddle. 

“I am going out to see the world,” said 
Piggy. 


48 







“Quack! quack! you’d better run home to 
your mother.” 

“I am big enough to take care of myself,” 
said Piggy Wee-wee. 

Then he wiggled his snout and tossed his 
head and ran on. 

Soon he met Mother Biddy, the white hen. 

“Cluck! cluck! where are you going, Piggy 
Wee-wee?” clucked Mother Biddy. 

“I am going out to see the world,” said 
Piggy Wee-wee. 

Wee-wee, “Cluck! cluck! you’d better run 
home to your mother.” 

“I am big enough to take care of myself,” 
said Piggy Wee-wee. Then he wiggled his 
snout and tossed his head and ran on. 

By and by he met Auntie Pigeon. 

“Coo-coo! coo-coo! where are you going, 
Piggy Wee-wee?” cooed Auntie Pigeon. 

“I am going out to see the world,” said 
Piggy. 

“Coo-coo! coo-coo! you’d better run home 
to your mother.” 


49 


“I am big enough to take care of myself,” 
said Piggy Wee-wee. 

Then he wiggled his snout and tossed his 
head and ran on. 

By and by he came to the woods. 

He found some hazelnuts. Um! um-mm! 
how good the hazelnuts tasted! 

Piggy ate and ate. Then he found some 
nice, black, sticky mud. He waded and 
waded in the nice, black, sticky mud until his 
pretty white suit was black and muddy as it 
could get. 

Then he found a fence. 

He rooted and rooted with his little snout 
until there was room for him to squeeze 
under the fence. 

As he came up on the other side of the 
fence he heard a fierce “grr-grr” growl, and 
something caught him by his little ear. 

It was a big black dog. 

The big black dog dragged him along by 
his ear over the rough ground. 

It hurt dreadfully. 


50 



“Wee-wee! wee-wee!” squealed Little Pig 
as loud as he could. 

But the big black dog dragged him along 
and dragged him along. 

He could not get away. 

“Wee-wee! wee-wee! he is killing me! he 
is killing me!” squealed Piggy. 

51 









Mother Biddy heard Little Pig squealing, 
and came running. 

Mrs. Ducky Waddle heard Little Pig 
squealing, and came waddling. 

Auntie Pigeon heard Little Pig squealing, 
and quickly she came flying to help him 

Mrs. Ducky Waddle flew at the big black 
dog and pecked him with her big flat bill. 

Mother Biddy flew at the big black dog 
and scratched him with her sharp claws. 

Auntie Pigeon flew at the big black dog 
and pecked him with her little sharp bill. 

The big black dog let go of Little Pig’s ear 
and ran away as fast as he could. 

“You’d better run home to your mother 
now,” quacked Mrs. Ducky Waddle. 

“You’d better run home to your mother 
now,” clucked Mother Biddy. 

“You’d better run home to your mother 
now,” cooed Auntie Pigeon. 

And Piggy Wee-wee did run home to his 
mother. He ran home as fast as he could 
and he stayed there. 


52 


Duckie Quack Quack 

There was a little duck, 

And its color was all black. 

And when it heard a noise, 

It always said, “Quack, quack!” 

Duckie Quack Quack was a little black 
duck. All his brothers and sisters were 
white. They lived in the pond down by the 
saw mill. 

How do you think Duckie Quack Quack got 
his name? Such a funny name! 

Every morning, as soon as he heard the 
buzz of the big saw in the sawmill, Duckie 
would begin to quack as loud as he could. 

He thought he could make more noise 
than the sawmill. And he tried his best to 
do so. So they named him Duckie Quack 
Quack. 

One day while Duckie was swimming 
about, he saw a board floating along on the 
water. 

“What a nice boat that board would 

53 



make!” thought Duckie. “If I had some¬ 
thing to use for oars, I could row as boys and 
girls do.” 

So Duckie swam about until he found two 
sticks that were just right to use for oars. 
With the oars tucked under his wings, he 
climbed upon the board and sat down. 
Working first one wing and then the other, 
he began to row around the edge of the 
pond. 


54 







Chicken Little was out hunting worms. 
She saw Ducky and called out, “May I go 
boat riding with you, Duckie Quack Quack? 
Please, may I go with you?” 

“Yes, if you will sit still and not upset the 
boat,” answered Duckie Quack Quack. 

“I will sit very still, Duckie,” promised 
Chicken Little. 

So Duckie rowed up close to the edge of 
the pond and Chicken Little got on the board 
and sat down. 

Then Duckie rowed on. 

Soon they heard some one calling, “Duckie 
Quack Quack, please, may I go boat riding 
with you?” 

They looked around and saw Mousie Long- 
tail sitting under a daisy, combing his 
whiskers. 

“Yes, if you will sit still and not upset the 
boat,” answered Duckie. 

“I will sit very still,” promised Mousie 
Longtail. 

So Duckie rowed up close to the edge of 

55 


the pond to let Mousie get on the board. 

They were having a fine ride when they 
saw Young Squirrel, sitting in the sun, eat¬ 
ing a nut. 

As soon as Young Squirrel saw them, he 
dropped the nut and called out, “Please, may 
I go boat riding with you, Duckie Quack 
Quack?” 

“Yes, if you will sit very still and not upset 
the boat,” answered Duckie. 

“I will sit very still,” promised Young 
Squirrel. 

So Young Squirrel got on the board and 
sat down. Then away they went, rowing 
out over the shining water. 

By and by they began to sing. Their sing¬ 
ing wakened old Mr. Frog, who was taking 
a nap. 

“What is all this noise about?” croaked 
Mr. Frog, poking his head up out of the 
water. Then he saw the board boat and the 
singers on it. 

“Huh! Do they call that singing?” 

56 


croaked old Mr. Frog, who was very proud of 
his fine voice. “If they should hear me sing, 
they would never sing again.” 

So Mr. Frog cleared his throat, opened his 
mouth and began to sing as loud as he could. 
Young Squirrel had never heard a frog sing 
and the sudden noise frightened him, mak¬ 
ing him jump to his feet. 








This upset the board boat, and splash! over 
they all went into the water! 

“Oh, we shall drown! We shall drown!” 
cried Chicken Little and Young Squirrel, for 
they could not swim. “I’m sure we shall 
drown!” 

“Quick! quick! Jump on my back, 
Chicken Little,” cried Duckie. “I can swim!” 

“Quick! quick! Catch hold of my tail, 
Young Squirrel,” cried Mousie Longtail. “I 
know how to swim.” 

So Duckie swam to shore with Chicken 
Little on his back. And Mousie Longtail 
swam to shore with Young Squirrel holding 
onto his tail. 

Then they all scrambled up out of the 
water and shook themselves. 

Young Squirrel, because of his bushy tail, 
seemed the wettest. 

Chicken Little hopped off Duckie’s back 
and there they all were—safe! They sat 
down in the sunshine to dry. 

And what do you think they saw? There, 

58 


on their board boat, sat old Mr. Frog, sing¬ 
ing with all his might, “Croak, croak, croak! ” 

“Now, what do you think of that!” said 
Duckie. 

“What do you think of that!” cried 
Chicken Little.” 

“Think of that!” cried Mousie Longtail. 

“Wait a minute,” said Young Squirrel. 
“Just wait a minute!” 

And before you could wink, he had scram¬ 
bled up a tree with a big hard hickory nut 
in his mouth. 

He dropped the hickory nut right on old 
Mr. Frog’s head. 

Mr. Frog stopped in the middle of a 
croak, jumped off the board and swam away 
as fast as he could. 

“My goodness!” said Mousie Longtail. 

“Oh!” cried Chicken Little. 

“Dear me!” quacked Duckie Quack Quack. 

Then Young Squirrel came down the tree 
and they all got on the board boat again and 
had a fine boat ride. 


59 


Bunny Pink Nose 

Little Bunny Pink Nose lived in a lovely 
home with bushes for walls. Green leaves 
hung over the windows for curtains. Moss 
made a soft carpet. 

One morning Mrs. Pink Nose said to Mr. 
Pink Nose, “Father, our little Bunny needs 
some new shoes.” 

Mr. Pink Nose said, “Well, I will take him 
down to Rabbit Town and get a pair for 
him.” 

So Mrs. Pink Nose washed little Bunny’s 
face and put on his little orange coat and 
hat. 

When they were ready they got into their 
car and drove away to Rabbit Town. 

Mr. Pink Nose took them to the Cotton¬ 
tail Shoe Store, where they bought Bunny 
a lovely pair of tan shoes. 

Bunny was so proud he wanted every one 
to see his new shoes. 

While his mother was busy in the Long 
60 



Ears Dry-goods Store buying a new dress, 
little Bunny hopped out the door and started 
down the street. 

He walked along, and soon he met Kitty 
Mew-Cat carrying a red-and-white candy 
cane. 

61 

















“What fine new shoes you have, Bunny 
Pink Nose,” said Kitty Mew-Cat. “May I 
walk along with you?” 

And Bunny was prouder than ever. 

Then he met Miss Froggie Croak carrying 
a new toadstool parasol. 

“What lovely new shoes you have!” cried 
Miss Froggie Croak. “Will you walk along 
with me under my toadstool parasol?” 

“Yes, thank you,” said Bunny, and he felt 
very proud. 

So they walked along and walked along 
until they met Miss Duckie Waddle, wearing 
a yellow tulip hat. 

“Quack, quack,” said Miss Duckie Waddle, 
“what beautiful tan shoes you have, Bunny 
Pink Nose! May I waddle along with you?” 

This made Bunny so proud and happy that 
he hopped three hops on one foot and turned 
a somersault besides. 

Then they walked along and walked along 
until they met Brownie Chipmunk wearing 
his new red pants. 


62 


“What pretty tan shoes, Bunny Pink 
Nose!” squeaked Brownie Chipmunk. “May 
I walk along with you?” 

This made Bunny so proud that he wiggled 
his ears and stuck up his nose. 

Then they walked along, and suddenly 
around the corner bounced Big Black Wolf. 
He glared fiercely at Bunny and growled, 
“What are you doing with those tan shoes?” 

“My father bought them for me,” an¬ 
swered poor little Bunny. He was fright¬ 
ened so he could hardly speak. 

“Come along with me,” growled Big Black 
Wolf. 

“Oh, please, Mr. Wolf, let me go to my 
mother,” pleaded Bunny. 

“If you don’t come with me I’ll bite your 
ears off,” growled Big Black Wolf. 

So poor little Bunny had to go with Big 
Black Wolf, and whenever Bunny did not 
walk fast enough, the wolf snapped at 
Bunny’s ears and made him hop along faster. 

By and by they reached Big Black Wolf’s 

63 


/ 


den in the woods, and poor little Bunny crept 
shivering into a corner. Big Black Wolf 
growled, “Take off those shoes!” 

Poor Bunny took off his pretty tan shoes 
and gave them to Big Black Wolf. The wolf 
put them on his ugly feet, but they were too 
small for him. They were so tight he could 
not walk in them. 

When Bunny saw how tight the shoes were 
for Big Black Wolf, he thought, “If I run 
now, Big Black Wolf cannot catch me, for the 
shoes are so tight he cannot run in them.” 

So while Big Black Wolf s back was turned, 
Bunny hopped to the door as fast as he could 
hop. 

Big Black Wolf started after him, but he 
could not run because the shoes hurt his feet. 
He stopped to pull off the shoes. 

“Just wait till I get off these shoes!” he 
called. “You’ll never get away from me 
again.” 

But the shoes were so tight, and it took him 
so long to get them off, that Bunny was out 

64 



of sight by the time the wolf was ready to 
run. Bunny had hid in some bushes by the 
side of the road. 

Big Black Wolf could not find Bunny, so he 
went back to his den. 

When Bunny was sure the wolf was gone, 

65 






he hopped out into the road, but he was lost 
and did not know the way home. He sat 
down and began to cry. 

“Why are you crying, Bunny Pink Nose?” 
said a voice close behind him. 

Bunny turned around and saw dear old 
Turtle Go Slow. 

“Oh, dear Turtle Go Slow, I am lost and 
cannot find my way home,” cried Bunny. 

“Well, never mind, Bunny. I will take you 
home. Climb on my shell and I will give you 
a nice ride.” 

So Bunny climbed up on the shell of good 
old Turtle Go Slow, and just as the sun went 
down he rode up to his home in the bushes. 

You can be sure that Bunny’s father and 
mother were glad to see him. 

They thanked Turtle Go Slow, and invited 
him to stay for supper. The next day Mr. 
Pink Nose went down to the Cottontail Shoe 
Store and bought another pair of little tan 
shoes for Bunny and brought them home to 
him. 


66 


Bunny and the Waffles 

One bright, sunny morning little Bunny 
Pink Nose was awakened by his mother call¬ 
ing. 

“Wake up, Bunny! I need some milk for 
breakfast. Hurry and dress and hop down 
to the Wiggle Wiggie Store and get a pint 
of milk for me—that’s a dear little bunny 
boy.” 

Little Bunny Pink Nose opened one eye, 
sniffed his little pink nose and said, “I’m so 
sleepy, Mother. We won’t need any milk to¬ 
day.” 

“Oh, very well,” said Mother Pink Nose. 
“I wanted the milk to make some nice, brown 
waffles for breakfast to eat with butter and 
honey. But we can get along with toast and 
tea.” 

Bunny sat up in a hurry with both eyes 
wide open. 

“Did you say brown waffles with butter 
and honey for breakfast?” 

67 



“Yes, I said brown waffles with butter and 
honey,” answered Mother Pink Nose. 

Bunny jumped into his little blue rompers 
quicker than you can say 
“Jack Sprat, 

Get my hat,” 

and started down the walk. 

“Wait a minute, Bunny! You haven’t any 
money,” called Mother Pink Nose. 

68 





































So Bunny hopped up and down while his 
mother went into the bedroom and got a 
dime from the dresser drawer. 

"Here is the dime for the milk. Be careful 
and do not lose it, Bunny,” said Mother Pink 
Nose. 

Bunny put the dime into his little pocket 
and then hopped away as fast as he could. 

As he was passing Mr. Poodle Dog’s house, 
he saw the three little Poodle Dogs, Fido, 
Fun and Fuzzy, out in the yard playing 
circus. 

Fido was standing on his head waving his 
tail in the air. Bunny stopped to watch 
him. 

"Hello, Bunny! You can’t stand on your 
head,” barked Fuzzy. 

"Yes, I can!” answered Bunny. 

"Let’s see you, then,” barked Fuzzy. 

Bunny laid back his pink ears; down went 
his head and up went his little tail. 

“Pretty good!” barked Fido. "I didn’t 
think a rabbit could stand on his head. Rab- 

69 


bits are pretty smart after all. Come in and 
play with us.” 

“No, I can’t stop to play,” said Bunny. “I 
must hurry down to the Wiggle Wiggie Store 
to get some milk for Mother.” 

And Bunny hopped out of the yard and 
away after the milk. 

Soon he came to the Wiggle Wiggie Store. 
He went through the turning gate and got 
a pint bottle of milk. 

Then he reached into his little pocket for 
the dime to pay Mr. Wiggle Wiggie for it— 
and—what do you think? The dime was 
gone! 

Poor Bunny! He didn’t know what to do. 
He hadn’t the least idea what to do. 

“How could I have lost that dime?” said 
Bunny. 

“Are you sure you had a dime?” grunted 
Mr. Wiggle Wiggie. And he wiggled his 
snout and scowled so hard at the poor little 
rabbit that Bunny felt as if he really had 
done something very bad indeed. 

70 



So Bunny put back the milk and started 
right home. 

“Oh me, oh my! 

I want to cry!” 

said Bunny. “Now we can’t have any nice, 
brown waffles and honey for breakfast.” 

And he hopped away slowly and sadly 
toward home. 

By and by he came to Mr. Poodle Dog’s 
house. As he was passing, Fuzzy came run¬ 
ning out. 


71 








“Have you lost something-, Bunny Pink 
Nose?” barked Fuzzy. “Tell me what you 
have lost.” 

“Oh Fuzzy, I lost the dime Mother gave me 
for the milk,” answered Bunny Pink Nose, 
beginning to cry. 

“Well, here it is,” barked Fuzzy. “It 
dropped out of your pocket when you stood 
on your head,” and he held it up in his paw. 

“Oh, thank you, Fuzzy! I am so glad you 
found it. Now we can have brown waffles 
with butter and honey for breakfast,” said 
Bunny. 

Then he hurried back to the Wiggle 
Wiggie Store where old Mr. Wiggle Wiggie 
gave him the milk, took the dime, and 
grunted “Thank you.” 

When Bunny got home he told his mother 
all about the lost dime. 

Then Mother Pink Nose made the nicest 
brown waffles and sent Bunny over with 
three waffles with butter and honey for the 
three little Poodle Dogs. 

72 


Bunny and the Moving Pictures 

Uncle Pink Nose was standing before 
the mirror trimming his whiskers and sing¬ 
ing his favorite song. 

“Are you going to the moving pictures to¬ 
night?” asked little Bunny Pink Nose. 
“Please take me, Uncle Pink Nose. I’ve 
never been to a moving picture.” 

“If you are a very good little bunny, I will 
take you to-morrow night to see a moving 
picture,” said Uncle Pink Nose. “But you 
must be good all day to-day and all day to¬ 
morrow. 

“Do you think you can do it?” 

“I’ll be good, Uncle Pink Nose,” said 
Bunny. And sure enough, little Bunny was 
as good as it is possible for a little rabbit to 
be. 

So the next evening at seven o’clock 
Mother Pink Nose had Bunny ready to go to 
the show. 

Uncle Pink Nose took Bunny by his little 

73 


paw, and they were soon going 1 through the 
door of the Rabbit Town Theater. 

“Why, it’s all dark!” whispered little 
Bunny, holding very tight to Uncle Pink 
Nose’s paw. “Maybe we’d better go home.” 

“It needs to be dark so we can see the pic¬ 
tures,” answered Uncle Pink Nose. 

They were shown to their seats by a rabbit 
dressed in a pretty red suit and holding a 
searchlight in one paw. 

Then in about five shakes of a rabbit’s tail, 
suddenly Bunny saw a little rabbit almost 
like himself. It was up on the platform 
where a big curtain hung. 

“What is that little rabbit doing up there, 
Uncle Pink Nose?” asked Bunny. 

“Hush! Sh-sh-!” whispered Uncle Pink 
Nose. “You must keep quiet when you come 
to see moving pictures. This is a picture of 
a little rabbit named Peter Rabbit. The pic¬ 
tures will tell the story of Peter Rabbit. If 
you are quiet, and watch the picture, you will 
see what happens to him.” 

74 



Bunny sat very still for quite a while and 
watched Peter Rabbit go into a garden and 
nibble delicious turnip tops. It made Bunny 
hungry. 

Then suddenly a big man came through 
the gate and started after Peter. 

This excited Bunny so greatly that he 
jumped right up on the seat and yelled, 
“Run, Peter, run for your life!” And 
every one of the lady and gentlemen and 

75 









children rabbits turned and looked at 
Bunny. 

Uncle Pink Nose pulled Bunny down into 
his seat and whispered, “If you don’t keep 
still, I’ll never again bring you to a moving 
picture.” 

Bunny was quite ashamed. Yes, quite 
ashamed. 

“I forgot it was just a picture rabbit, 
Uncle Pink Nose,” said he. 

At last the picture ended; the lights were 
turned on, and every one started at once for 
the door. 

Bunny kept a tight hold of his uncle’s paw, 
and finally they found themselves out on the 
sidewalk. 

Soon little Bunny Pink Nose was at home, 
and while his mother undressed him for bed, 
he told her the moving picture story of Peter 
Rabbit. 

And always after that when Bunny went 
to see a moving picture, he sat still in his seat 
all the time. 


76 


Bunny and Mrs. Kangaroo 

“One, two, three—jump! One, two, three 
—jump! One, two, three—jump!” counted 
Mrs. Kangaroo. 

Now, why do you suppose Mrs. Kangaroo 
was counting, “One, two, three—jump?” 










I will tell you why she was counting. 

Mrs. Kangaroo was trying to teach little 
Boo-Boo Kangaroo and little Loo-Loo Kan¬ 
garoo how to jump. You know kangaroos 
have to jump, for they cannot run. 

“Now, ready! One, two, three—jump!” 
counted Mrs. Kangaroo. 

But little Boo-Boo was so clumsy that he 
fell over his long tail. 

“You silly child! Watch me,” said Mrs. 
Kangaroo. 

And she jumped so high that she went 
over the fence. 

And what do you think came out from 
under the fence? 

Little Bunny Pink Nose. 

He had been sitting under the fence watch¬ 
ing Mrs. Kangaroo and her little kangaroos 
for a long time. 

“How do you do?” said Mrs. Kangaroo. 

“Can I help teach your children how to 
jump?” asked Bunny. 

“If I had some music, I’m sure they would 

78 



do much better,” answered Mrs. Kangaroo. 

“I’ll get my little red drum,” said Bunny. 
And off he skipped. 

He beat the drum so loud that those little 
kangaroos jumped clear over a bush. 

And they kept on jumping. They jumped 
on and on. 

Mrs. Kangaroo called to them to stop. 
“Come back! Come back!” she called. 

But those little kangaroos just kept on 
jumping. On and on they jumped, faster 
and faster. 

Suddenly out came a big brown dog. The 
dog began to chase them. 

Oh my! how scared the little kangaroos 
were! 

Mrs. Kangaroo stood up on her strong 
hind legs, and in three and a half big leaps, 
was up beside the big dog. 

Then she hit him with her hind foot, ka- 
thug! 

“Oh wow, wow-wow-oo!” howled the dog, 
as he rolled over and over. 

79 





Then little Boo-Boo and Loo-Loo jumped 
up into their mother’s soft, warm pocket and 
cuddled down. 

They were glad to be safe with their dear 
mother again. 

They cuddled down and went to sleep while 
their mother and Bunny talked together all 
the way home. 


80 









Bunny and His Airplane 

“I wish I could fly,” said Bunny one day, as 
he watched the birds flying across the sky. 

A long-legged crane standing near by 
heard what Bunny said. 

Mr. Crane stretched his long neck around. 
He looked at Bunny and said, “You may 
never be able to fly, still, you can have a ride 
in the sky.” 

Bunny sat up very quickly. “How can I 
have a ride in the sky?” 

“On my back,” said Mr. Crane. “I shall 
fly across the lake in a few minutes. You 
may go with me, and I’ll bring you back on 
my return trip in an hour.” 

“How wonderful!” exclaimed Bunny. “I 
am ready to go any time.” 

“Very well, but you must put on your little 
green coat and your red cap and ask your 
mother if you may go,” said Mr. Crane. 

Bunny hurried home to ask his mother and 
to get his coat and cap. 

81 



Soon he came hippity-hopping back with 
his coat and cap on. 

“Hurrah! Mother says I may go!” 
shouted Bunny. 

“Put your arms around my neck and climb 
upon my back,” said Mr. Crane. 

How wonderful it was to be sailing 
through the air! 


82 




The trees and hills were so far below them 
that people looked like tiny specks. The 
river looked like a silver ribbon winding 
among the green hills. 

The cool wind swept Bunny’s ears back as 
they rushed through the air. 

As they were flying over the lake, Bunny 
noticed something black in the water. He 
leaned over to see what it could be. He was 
so interested he forgot to keep his arms 
around Mr. Crane’s neck, and suddenly 
down, down went Bunny and dropped—ker 
splash! into the water. 

He landed right on the back of the black 
thing. And what do you suppose it was? It 
was old Mr. Alligator, who was taking his 
afternoon nap. 

Well, maybe you think Mr. Alligator 
wasn’t surprised! He had never before seen 
a rabbit, and he didn’t like to have this 
strange animal riding on his back. No, in¬ 
deed! But what could he do? 

Then Mr. Alligator thought, “I’ll swim 

83 



over to that big log at the edge of the lake 
and scratch my back on it. That will knock 
this animal off, and then I’ll gobble him up.” 

So Mr. Alligator swam over to the bank. 

But Bunny Pink Nose jumped to the log, 
and hopped to the ground and was gone be¬ 
fore you could say, “Jack Sprat!” 

84 





The Brownie Seed 


Once there was a little brown seed. She 
had brown hair and brown eyes. And she 
always wore a brown dress and a little brown 
hat. 

So every one called her Brownie. 

She lived in a paper house with her 
brothers and sisters. They always dressed 
in brown too. 

The outside of their little paper house 
had pictures of lovely red and yellow flowers 
on it. I wonder if you can guess what this 
paper house really was? 

Brownie often looked at the pictures of the 
beautiful flowers and wished that she were 
as beautiful as they. 

She often said, “I wish I had a beautiful 
red or yellow dress like those lovely flowers; 
I am so tired of this ugly brown dress.” 

Then one day a man came and bought the 
house and took it home with him, and all the 
little seeds in it. 


85 


When he came home he opened the door 
of the paper house and took the little 
Brownies out and put them each one into a 
house of its own. 

And what kind of a house do you suppose 
it was? 

It was a dug-out house in the ground. 

Then the man shut the door of the dug-out 
house and it was very dark. 

“Oh dear, I don’t like this dark house!” 
said little Brownie. “It has no beautiful pic¬ 
tures on it and I am lonesome without my 
brothers and sisters. Oh dear! oh dear! I 
guess I’ll lie down and take a nap.” So she 
snuggled down and went to sleep. 

Suddenly she was wakened by a strange 
sound. Tap, tap, tap! 

“Some one is trying to break into my 
house,” thought Brownie. “It may be some 
terrible animal that wants to eat me. I must 
keep very still.” 

She was so quiet she scarcely breathed, 
and soon the sound stopped and all was quiet 
86 



again. So she snuggled down and was going 
to drop off to sleep again, when suddenly, 
tap, tap, tap! came the strange sound 
again. 

Poor little Brownie was so frightened and 
shivered so hard that the buttons on her 
little brown dress flew off and she found her 
cheeks wet with tears. 

Then all was quiet again, and by and by 
she dropped to sleep. 

When she awakened she felt warm, and a 
beautiful light was shining all about her. 
The door of her house was open, and there, 
with the most beautiful dresses on, were her 

87 







dear brothers and sisters. And Brownie her¬ 
self had on the loveliest green dress, which 
soon turned into a lovely red. They were 
real flowers. 

How happy she was! 

One day she heard a tap, tap, tap! and 
looking up, saw bright drops of water 
scampering down the sky ladder. They 
dropped on her head and on the ground by 
her side. 

Then she knew what it was she had heard 
when she was in her dark little dug-out 
house. 

It was the soft, cool rain coming down to 
give her a drink, and was only tapping to 
open the door so she could come out. 

Then little Brownie laughed and said, ‘Til 
never be afraid any more of your tap, tap, 
tap, kind rain.” And she never was. 

She grew happier and even more beauti¬ 
ful as the days passed. 


Big Brother and Little Brother 

A rabbit and a moose, 

A very strange pair, 

Traveled together everywhere. 

Once upon a time there was a poor little 
rabbit who was all alone in the world. 

His father and mother had been caught 
in a cruel trap. 

This left poor little Bunny without any one 
to care for him. He was sad and afraid. 

One day Bunny saw a great wolf coming 
toward him. He didn’t know what to do, he 
was so frightened. 

Just then he noticed a hole in the ground 
made by the great hoof of Big Ben Moose. 
It was just large enough to make a good hid¬ 
ing place for a little rabbit. 

So Bunny jumped into the hole and 
crouched down out of sight. 

As the wolf was loping along he caught 
sight of one of Bunny’s ears sticking up. 

"Aha! little rabbit, I see you hiding there! 

89 


What a nice meal you will make for me!” 

“You dare not eat me, Mr. Wolf,” said 
Bunny. “I am Big Ben Moose’s brother.” 

“Oh, you are Big Ben Moose’s little 
brother, are you?” said the wolf. “Well, you 
are nearly all ears, and ears are not good 
eating.” And the wolf passed on. 

By and by Mr. Lynx came prowling about, 
hunting something for his dinner. 

His sharp eyes spied Bunny hiding in Big 
Ben Moose’s track. 

His eyes glowed like balls of fire. “Aha!” 
he snarled, “rabbit is just the food for a 
hungry lynx.” 

“You dare not eat me, Mr. Lynx,” said 
Bunny. “I am Big Ben Moose’s little 
brother.” 

“Is that so?” snarled Mr. Lynx. 

“Well, I see a flock of wild ducks. Wild 
duck is much better eating than rabbit.” 

And Mr. Lynx slunk away. 

Nothing more happened for a long time. 
Bunny began to think it would be safe to 

90 



venture out again, when he noticed a bunch 
of grass moving steadily toward him. 

“How strange that is,” thought Bunny. 
“Why does it move that way?” 

As he watched, the grass moved nearer 
and nearer. 

Suddenly he saw a red mouth with sharp 
teeth behind the grass, ready to snap him up. 
But Bunny jumped so quickly that Mr. Fox 
missed him. 

“Oho! Mr. Fox, that was a sharp trick you 
played, carrying a bunch of grass to hide 

91 










yourself,” said Bunny. “But you dare not 
eat me. I am Big Ben Moose’s little brother.” 

“Who wants to eat you! ” snapped Mr. Fox. 
“I smell a nestful of eggs in those bushes over 
there.” And Mr. Fox slipped away. 

Bunny was beginning to feel safe again, 
when a heavy loud sound reached his ears. 

Bunny peeped out and there, beside him, 
stood the biggest animal he had ever seen. 

“I am Big Ben Moose,” bellowed the great 
animal. “Who are you?” 

“I am Bunny, your little brother,” whis¬ 
pered the little rabbit, half scared to death. 

“I am alone in the world, with no one to 
care for me. You are so big and so strong! 
Won’t you be my friend? See, I have waited 
here in your own hoof track.” 

Big Ben looked down at the tiny rabbit. 
And if a moose can laugh, he must have 
laughed at that. But the fierce look in his 
eyes changed to a kindly one. 

“You have trusted me, little brother,” he 
said. “I shall not harm you.” 

92 



Then he bent down his great head and 
said, “Climb up on my antlers, little brother. 
There you will be out of reach of those who 
would harm you.” 

So Bunny jumped up on Big Ben’s antlers 
and everywhere that Big Ben went, he car¬ 
ried his little bunny brother. 

Whenever Big Ben ate leaves and berries 
from trees and bushes, little Bunny nibbled 
too. 

And so Big Brother and Little Brother 
lived happily together. 

93 







Jimmy Jack-O’-Lantern 


One day a little boy named Ted went to 
the store and bought some pumpkin seed. 

He brought his pumpkin seed home. He 
made a little garden all his own and there he 
planted his pumpkin seed. Every day he 
went out to look at his garden, expecting to 
see a pumpkin vine growing. But day after 

94 




















day passed and no vine grew in his garden. 

One night it rained and the next morning 
when Ted went out to his garden, he found 
a tiny green blade had pushed the earth out 
of its way and was looking right toward the 
sky. Before long Ted had a pumpkin vine 
running all over his garden. The vine was 
covered with lovely yellow blossoms. 

By and by the blossoms dropped off and 
Ted found little green knobs tucked away 
under the leaves. The little green knobs 
grew and grew until finally they grew into 
big, yellow pumpkins. 

Then oh, the pumpkin pies they had! But 
the biggest pumpkin of all Ted kept. 

Now, what do you suppose Ted wanted 
with the biggest pumpkin? Yes, Hallowe’en 
was coming and Ted wanted a Jack-o’-lan- 
tern, of course—a big, scary Jack-o’-lantern! 

On the day of Hallowe’en, Ted and his 
friend Billy took the big pumpkin, cut off the 
stem end and dug out the inside of it. They 
cut two big, round holes for eyes, another 

95 


hole for a nose, and a long, wide slit to make 
a big, grinning mouth. They put a candle 
inside and as soon as it grew dark, they 
lighted the candle—and oh, oo-ooh! how 
scary it looked! 

“Let’s call him Jimmy Jack-o’-lantern,” 
said Billy. 

“All right,” said Ted, “the name just suits 
him.” 

Just then Ted’s mother called the boys in 
to eat supper, so they left Jimmy Jack-o’- 
lantern on the back porch, grinning away in 
the darkness. 

“Ho!” said Jimmy Jack to himself, as soon 
as the boys were gone. “Now for some fun 
of my own!” 

Then what do you suppose Jimmy Jack 
did? He rolled off the porch, down the steps, 
and down the walk! 

Mrs. Pussy Cat happened to be coming up 
the walk from the barn. When she saw 
Jimmy Jack coming toward her, she turned 
tail and ran as fast as she could, back to the 

96 



barn. And Jimmy Jack went after her, roll¬ 
ing 1 his eyes and grinning with all his might. 

Mrs. Pussy Cat jumped through the door 
of the barn and hid under the hay. 

“What is the matter, Mrs. Pussy Cat?” 
asked the pig. 

“Oh, I saw a great dragon with fiery red 
eyes and smoke and fire coming out of its 
mouth!” mewed Mrs. Pussy Cat. “I am so 
frightened my hair won’t lie down.” 

“Your eyes look like balls of fire, too,” 

97 










grunted the pig, and then he turned over and 
went to sleep again. 

After Mrs. Pussy Cat hid in the barn, 
Jimmy Jack-o’-lantern rolled past the barn 
and out into the road. 

Mr. Slippery Sly Fox was prowling around 
looking for a nice, plump hen for his supper 
when he saw a great head with two fiery eyes 
and a great red mouth, coming toward him. 

Mr. Slippery Sly Fox changed his mind 
about wanting a nice, plump hen for his sup¬ 
per. He really wasn’t hungry! 

“No hen for me!” said Mr. Fox, and he ran 
as fast as he could toward his den. But 
Jimmy Jack put on more speed and before 
the fox could get into his den, Jimmy Jack 
was so close he scorched Mr. Fox’s tail. 

“What in the world is the matter?” ex¬ 
claimed Mrs. Fox, as Mr. Fox came tumbling 
into the den. “You look as if you had seen a 
ghost.” 

“A ghost! I’ve seen a dragon with fiery 
eyes and breathing fire and smoke. It al- 

98 


most got me! Oh, I’ll never go out at night 
again! Never! ” panted Mr. Fox. 

“What fun I have!” laughed Jimmy Jack. 
“But I’d better hurry back to the house, for 
the boys may be coming out.” 

So Jimmy Jack-o’-lantern turned and 
rolled merrily along the road, hopped up the 
walk, and up the steps. When the boys came 
out of the house a moment later they found 
Jimmy Jack-o’-lantern on the back porch 
winking and grinning as when they left him, 
only the candle had melted almost down. 

“Why, see! the candle is almost gone!” 
said Billy. 

“I’ll get another candle,” said Ted. 

Soon a new candle was in and lighted and 
the boys were ready for their fun. They 
didn’t know Jimmy Jack had been out first 
having fun of his own. 

And Jimmy Jack-o’-lantern never told. 
He just grinned to himself and looked more 
like a dragon than ever. 


Billy’s Pumpkin-Pie Party 


One day Billy gave a party and invited all 
his little friends. 

They set the table out under the trees. 
And what do you suppose they had to eat? 
Yes, pumpkin pie. 

Each little boy had a little pie of his own. 
And each little girl had a little pie of her 
own. Billy’s Grandma made the pies. 

But that wasn’t all. Each little pie had 
four heaping tablespoons of ice cream on it. 

Each little girl had a tall glass of lemon¬ 
ade with a straw in it. 

And each little boy had a tall glass of 
lemonade with a straw in it. 

They drank the lemonade through the 
straws, and that made it last longer. 

Then Billy took his friends out to look at 
his garden and to see his biggest pumpkin. 
Billy called it “The Giant.” 

It was the biggest pumpkin you ever saw. 
“I’m saving ‘The Giant’ for Hallowe’en,” said 
100 



Billy. He’ll make a fine Jack-o’-lantern.” 

“Ho! let’s call him ‘Jack-o’-lantern 
Giant,’ ” said Freddie. 

Then the children all ran, pretending- they 
were afraid of the pumpkin giant. Soon it 
was time for them to go home. 

“We have had a lovely time at your pump¬ 
kin-pie party, Billy,” they said. “Good-by.” 

101 







The Pumpkin Giant 


Jack-o’-lantern Giant 
Liked to play tricks 
To scare little boys 

Who put him on sticks. 

Now I shall tell you of Billy and his pump¬ 
kin giant. 

You remember it was the biggest pumpkin 
in his garden. 

“What are you going to do with your 
pumpkin giant, Billy?” asked his friend, 
Danny Dawson, one day. 

“I’m saving him for Hallowe’en,” an¬ 
swered Billy. “He will make a regular Jack- 
o’-lantern giant, won’t he? I tell you. Dan, 
we can have a lot of fun with him.” 

So on the day of Hallowe’en Billy and Dan 
took the big pumpkin and cut big holes for 
eyes and nose and mouth in it. 

They put a candle inside and as soon as it 
began to grow dark, they lighted the candle, 
and oh, what a scary old giant he looked! 

102 


The boys themselves were almost afraid 
of him. 

Billy found a long, stout stick and this 
he fastened to his bicycle so that it stood 
straight up. 

Then the boys climbed on the fence and 
stuck the Jack-o’-lantern on the stick. 

“Ho! he looks tall enough for a. giant, 
doesn’t he?” laughed Dan. 

Just then Billy’s mother called the boys to 
go to the store after some bread for supper. 

As soon as the boys were out of sight, Jack- 
o’-lantern Giant suddenly came to life. 

Then what do you suppose that Jack-o’- 
lantern did? 

Wait till I tell you. 

He started the bicycle going. 

He wheeled down the walk. 

He wheeled out of the yard and on down 
the road. 

Uncle Jake, the old colored man who lived 
in a cabin near by, was just coming out of 
his gate. 


103 


Uncle Jake was whistling 1 a tune when sud¬ 
denly he saw “Jack-o’-lantern Giant” com¬ 
ing toward him in the darkness. 

Uncle Jake gave a long whistle and then 
turned and ran for the house. 

He jumped through the door like a flash. 
He slammed it shut and locked it. 

Aunt Jane, Uncle Jake’s wife, looked 
around and said: “What in the name of pan¬ 
cakes is the matter with you? You look like 
you had seen a ghost.” 

“Ghost!” exclaimed Uncle Jake. “Why, 
woman, I’ve seen a giant as tall as a church. 
And his head was on fire.” 

“You must have been dreaming, Jake,” 
said Aunt Jane. 

“Dreaming nothing. I tell you, I saw it 
with my own eyes!” exclaimed Uncle Jake, 
and nothing could make him go out of the 
house again that night. 

After Uncle Jake ran into the house, 
“Jack-o’-lantern Giant” grinned to himself 
and wheeled on down the road. 

104 



He came to a big oak tree and hid behind 
it. He kept very still. 

By and by he heard Billy and Dan coming. 
They had got the bread and were coming 
home with it. They were busy talking when 
they passed the tree. They had gone a little 
way past when they heard a rustling of the 
branches, and, on looking up, saw two big, 
fierce, red eyes looking down at them. 

“Bun, Danny, run!” cried Billy. “There’s 
a wild cat up in that tree!” And run they 
both did! 

When they reached the house they tumbled 

105 












over each other through the kitchen door. 

“What in the world is the matter with you 
boy!” exclaimed Billy’s mother. 

“We saw a wild cat up in the big oak tree!” 
they both panted at once, for they were all 
out of breath from running. 

“Nonsense!” said mother. “There are no 
wild cats around here.” 

“There was one in that oak tree, I can tell 
you,” said Billy. 

At this moment two big, fiery eyes ap¬ 
peared at the window. 

“There he is now!” cried Billy. 

As he spoke the big pumpkin came off the 
stick, rolled through the window and fell on 
the floor. 

“Our Jack-o’-lantern!” exclaimed the boys 
in one breath. “Why it was only our Jack- 
o’-lantern Giant!” and they laughed till their 
sides ached. 

So, boys, you’d better watch your Jack-o’- 
lanterns next Hallowe’en, or they may play 
tricks on you. 


106 



The Easter Flower Choir 


Mabel was walking in the garden one early 
spring day. She started when she heard a 
soft little voice, then a sigh. 

Mabel stopped and stooped to listen. She 
heard the voice again. 

“Please, somebody help me,” said the 
voice. 


107 











The voice came from a large clod of earth. 
As Mabel looked, she saw a bit of red show¬ 
ing underneath. 

“Who are you, and what can I do to help 
you?” asked Mabel. 

“I am Lady Tulip. Please lift this heavy 
earth clod away. I fear I shall tear my 
Easter gown if I try to pass it.” • 

Mabel hurried and lifted the clod out of 
the way and Lady Tulip straightened herself 
up with a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you, little girl,” she said. “Mother 
Nature sent me. She wished me to be here in 
time for Easter. I belong to the Flower 
Choir. The Flower Choir always sings on 
Easter morning. If you waken at dawn on 
Easter morning and listen, you will hear us 
sing.” 

“Thank you, dear Lady Tulip. That would 
make me very happy,” said Mabel. 

She then walked over to a rose bush to pick 
off some dry leaves. Near by she heard a 
tiny voice singing. It was very faint, but 
108 


beautiful. Mabel stopped and listened. She 
heard the words: 

Easter time is coming, coming, 

Beautiful Easter Day! 

The bells will be ringing, ringing, 

On beautiful Easter Day!” 

Mabel followed the direction of the music 
and it led her to a sheltered corner of the 
yard. There she found some purple flowers 
and there was a sweet fragrance in the air. 

“Were you singing?” asked Mabel. 

“Yes, little girl, it was I,” said a tiny voice. 
“My name is Hyacinth. Mother Nature sent 
me. She wished me to be here in time for 
Easter Day. I belong to the Flower Choir. 
The Flower Choir always sings on Easter 
morning.” 

“It is a beautiful song,” said Mabel. 

“If you will waken at dawn on Easter 
morning, you will hear the Flower Choir 
sing,” answered the Hyacinth. 

“That would make me very happy, dear 
Hyacinth,” said Mabel. 

109 


Then she walked on down the path. She 
noticed something yellow showing through 
the bushes. She found some bright yellow 
flowers. 

One yellow flower smiled and said, “I am 
Lady Crocus.” Spreading out her yellow 
skirts, she made a little bow and said: 
“Mother Nature sent me. She wished me to 
be here before Easter Day.” 

“Do you belong to the Flower Choir?” 
asked Mabel. 

“Yes, and I must practice my song.” 

Then Lady Crocus raised her head and 
sang: 

Easter time is coming, coming, 

Beautiful Easter Day! 

The bells will be ringing, ringing, 

On beautiful Easter Day! 

“If you awaken at dawn on Easter morn¬ 
ing, you will hear us sing,” said she. 

“Thank you, dear Lady Crocus, that would 
make me very happy,” said Mabel. 

Then Mabel walked on to the end of the 
no 


path. And there at the end of the path stood 
the most beautiful flower of all. She was tall 
and slim and dressed in pure white. 

She was the Queen of the Garden. 

“Oh, how beautiful!” cried Mabel. 

“I am glad that you love me,” said the 
Queen, “for I love you. I am the Lily Queen. 
Mother Nature sent me to tell the world of 
love. Easter is the time to remember that 
love rules the world.” 

“Are you Queen of the Flower Choir?” 
asked Mabel. 

“Yes, and if you waken at dawn on Easter 
morning, you will hear us sing.” 

“That would make me very happy, dear 
Queen,” said Mabel. 

That night Mabel dreamed of the flowers 
and at dawn she was awakened by the sweet¬ 
est music she had ever heard. 

She ran to the window. A gentle breeze 
lifted the white curtain and the fragrance of 
many flowers came to her. She sat by the 
window and listened. 


m 



It was the Flower Choir singing: 

Easter morn is dawning, dawning, 

Beautiful Easter Day! 

The story of God’s love telling, telling, 

This happy Easter Day! 

The Flower Choir sang until the sun rose 
over the hills, then the music grew fainter 
and fainter and finally stopped. Mabel 
never forgot the beautiful Easter song of 
the Flower Choir. 

Have you ever heard the flowers sing? 

112 






















Takamere and the Coyotes 

Takamere was a dear little, dark little 
Indian girl. Her hair was as black as a black¬ 
bird’s wing. Her eyes were as black and 
sparkling as two black diamonds. 

But you should have seen dear little, dark 
little Takamere smile. An adorable dimple 
came dancing into her rosy right cheek when 
she smiled. 

Her pretty red, red lips were like the bow 
her father carried when he hunted the buf¬ 
falo. And her teeth were as white as pearls. 

Dear little, dark little Takamere lived 
away, away out on the prairies. There were 
no trees except down by the river. There 
were no hills except away, away off in the 
distance. Her playmates were the jolly little 
prairie dogs and the Indian ponies. 

Takamere had a little pony of her very 
own. She called her pony Starlight, because 
he had a white star on his forehead. 

And how she loved to ride away, away 

113 



over the prairies, with the wind singing 
through her hair! 

One day Takamere rode away and away 
over the prairies to the far-away hills. She 
rode on and on. By and by the sun went 
down, down behind the hills. 

Takamere said, “I must hurry home, for it 
is almost dark.” 

Just then she heard the call of a coyote. 
How wild and lonely it sounded! Then she 
heard the call of another coyote. Then an¬ 
other, and another. 

Starlight pricked up his ears and listened. 
He too had heard the far-away call of the 

114 







coyote. He stamped his hoofs and sniffed 
the air. 

“Hurry, my Starlight! Hurry and carry 
me home! The coyotes are coming! the coy¬ 
otes are coming!” cried Takamere. 

Starlight shook himself and with a bound 
started homeward. 

But on the coyotes came, faster and 
faster. 

“Oh, Starlight, run swiftly, and carry me 
home!” pleaded Takamere. 

Starlight ran faster and faster. 

Nearer and nearer came the coyotes. 
Takamere could see their fierce eyes and 
their red mouths. 

“Faster, faster, Starlight! Oh, run fas¬ 
ter!” pleaded Takamere. 

Starlight stretched out his neck, laid back 
his ears and ran like the wind. Takamere 
clung to his mane with all her strength. The 
wind whistled in her ears as on and on they 
ran. Suddenly a light gleamed through the 
darkness. 


115 



“A camp-fire! Oh, Starlight dear, it is a 
camp-fire!” cried Takamere. And straight 
toward the fire ran Starlight. 

In a moment more Takamere was safe in 
the arms of her father, Great Chief Eagle. 

116 







They had built the fire to guide Takamere 
safely home. 

When the coyotes saw the fire, they were 
frightened and turned and slunk away. 
Great Chief Eagle took his dear little, dark 
little Takamere home to her mother’s wig¬ 
wam. 

Her mother took Takamere in her arms 
and rocked her and sang to her. 

This is the song she sang: 

The coyote howls on the prairie wild, 

The south wind sweeps through the trees, 

But safe from harm is my darling child, 

While the south wind sweeps through the trees, 
While the south wind sweeps through the trees. 

The lone wolf calls from the hill far away, 

The moon rides high in the sky, 

But safe on her bed I my child do lay, 

While the south wind sings “Lullaby,” 

While the south wind sings “Lullaby.” 

And soon dear little, dark little Takamere 
was fast asleep. 


117 




































Happiness Castle 

The Mountain of Happiness was a very 
high mountain. Whoever climbed to the top 
of it could see over all the country. 

On the top of the Mountain of Happiness 
stood a beautiful castle built of white marble. 

This beautiful castle was called Happiness 
Castle. 

It was so large it had a hundred windows, 
but only one door. 

Around the castle grounds was built a 
great wall. 

And in this great wall there was only one 
gate. 

Every evening as the sun went down, it 
shone on the west windows of the castle. 
This made the windows throw a beautiful 
golden light over the valley below, even after 
the sun had set. 

The people in the valley would look up at 
the mountain-top and say, “What a beautiful 
place to live! But it is so hard to reach.” 

119 


The Prince who lived in the castle would let 
no one enter who had not proved himself or 
herself to be worthy. 

Down in the valley lived a little girl whose 
name was Mary. Now, Mary wished more 
than anything in the world to live in Happi¬ 
ness Castle. She thought about it every day. 
At last she thought she would try to prove 
herself worthy. 

So one bright morning she started up the 
mountain-side. 

She climbed up and up. She grew very 
tired, but she would not give up. 

Toward evening she reached the castle 
wall. She found the one gate. It was a tall, 
silver gate with bars close together. She 
rang the silver bell. 

A tall man dressed in a silver and white 
uniform came to the gate. 

“What is your wish?” asked the man in a 
kind voice. 

“I wish to enter Happiness Castle,” an¬ 
swered Mary. 


120 


“You may not enter until you prove your¬ 
self worthy,” answered the man. 

“You must live near the silver gate for a 
month. During that time, every word that 
you speak that it true, will help to unlock the 
gate. 

“But every word that is not true, locks it 
again. 

“If, at the end of the month, only true 
words have been spoken, the silver gate will 
swing open and you may enter the grounds 
of Happiness Castle. 

“Near the gate is a little house. A kind 
little woman lives there with her children. 
She will care for you until the month is up.” 

Then the man closed the door. 

Mary went to the house, where she found 
the woman and her children. She lived with 
them. She helped the woman with her work 
and she played with the children. 

At first it was hard to remember always 
to tell the truth. But she was very careful 
and, as time went on, it grew easier. 

121 


Finally the last day of the month came. 
The woman took Mary to the silver gate, 
while the other children watched to see what 
would happen. 

Mary stood by the gate and waited. Hour 
after hour passed. Then, just as the setting 
sun lighted up the windows, the silver gate 
swung wide open and Mary entered the 
castle grounds. 

She found the man in the silver and white 
uniform standing inside the gate smiling 
kindly at her. He took her by the hand and 
led her along a winding path. 

They passed a fountain of sparkling 
water. Everywhere were beautiful trees, 
birds and flowers. They passed a lake of 
clear water with water lilies floating on the 
top. Graceful, white swans were swimming 
about. 

Mary had never dreamed of anything so 
beautiful. At last they reached the door of 
the palace. It was a golden door. 

The man rang a golden bell. A man 
122 


dressed in a red and gold uniform came to 
the door. 

“Here is a little girl who wishes to enter 
Happiness Castle,” said the man in silver and 
white. “She has passed the Silver Gate of 
Truth.” 

The man in red and gold said, “Little girl, 
this is the Door of Kindness. You may not 
enter until you prove yourself worthy. You 
must live near the golden door for a month. 

“Every word that you speak that is kind, 
helps unlock the door. Every word that is 
not kind, locks it again. 

“If, at the end of the month, only kind 
words have been spoken, the Golden Door 
will swing open and you may enter the 
palace. 

“Near the door is a little house where lives 
a kind little woman. She will care for you 
until the month is up.” 

Then the men went away. Mary went to 
the little house and found the woman and 
her children. 


123 



At first it was hard to remember always to 
speak kindly. Many times the children were 
cross and rude to her and she would find her¬ 
self just ready to speak ugly, cross words in 
return. Then she would think of the Door of 
Kindness and smile again. 

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Finally the last day of the month came and 
the woman took her to the Golden Door. 
There she waited and waited. Hour after 
hour she waited. The sun went down, and it 
was growing- dark. Poor little Mary began 
to think over all the things she had said in 
the last month. 

“I must have said something unkind, after 
all,” she thought. And her eyes filled with 
tears. 

Suddenly a bright light shone around her. 
She looked up, and saw the Golden Door wide 
open. 

Her heart leaped for joy! There, in the 
doorway, with a smile of welcome in his eyes, 
stood the Prince of Happiness Castle. He 
took Mary by the hand and led her into the 
beautiful Palace of Happiness to live with 
him always, behind those shining golden 
windows. She was happy because she had 
tried so hard to be true and kind. 


125 






















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